Related video: Foreign secretary says government will not rest until dinghy crossings are resolved
Sadiq Khan has said he is concerned the government is “throwing red meat” to people concerned about migration after the home secretary signed a new deal with France in a bid to curb Channel crossings.
Suella Braverman on Monday signed the decree with France as part of an historic crackdown on migrant crossings which will see a boost to beach patrols and British staff based in French control rooms for the first time.
The 72m euro (£63m) deal, described by prime minister Rishi Sunak as “a foundation” for more co-operation in coming months, was finalised by the home secretary and her French counterpart Gerald Darmanin on Monday morning.
Responding to the news, the Mayor of London told Times Radio: “My concern is what the government’s doing today is sort of throwing some red meat to people who are concerned about migration and not addressing the core issue we’ve had over the last 11 months, 40,000 people crossing the Channel in little boats.
He went on to warn that the government’s “tough rhetoric clearly isn’t working by itself.”
